• As per a paper published in Nature, >19,000 glaciers are warming at 0.15°C–0.60°C per decade and rapid glacier retreat is expanding glacial lakes and heightening the risk of Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs) in this vital water tower.
• Eastern Himalayas now host the highest number of glacial lakes and largest total lake area, followed by Central and Western Himalayas.
• Under high-emission scenarios, 65% of the ice mass in High Mountain Asia could disappear by the year 2100.

Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs)

• It is a sudden release of water from a lake fed by glacier melt that has formed at the side, in front, within, beneath, or on the surface of a glacier. E.g. Kedarnath disaster (2013) and Dig Tsho (Nepal). 
• Hazard Profile: They are sporadic but high-impact events capable of causing extensive downstream destruction as floodwaters often carry debris (rocks, soil, trees).
• Reasons
  • Atmospheric warming: Dominant driver causing glacier thinning and lake expansion.
  • Triggering Factors: Ice Avalanches, extreme weather events such as intense precipitation, mass movements of landfills, permafrost degradation

Impact of GLOFs

• Human Exposure: Approximately one million people live within 10 km of a glacial lake in the region, who are most vulnerable.
• Economic Cost: GLOFs pose threats to hydropower projects and infrastructure. 
• Transboundary Risks: GLOFs can originate in one country (e.g., China/Tibet) and devastate downstream communities in another (e.g., Nepal or India).